Iron Man: The Riley Stark Adventures Book 2
by superherofan95
Summary: Takes place during Iron Man 2. I made it the crossover of Iron Man and Twilight because they make an interesting combo.
1. Chapter 1: Stark Expo

**So, I know how much readers like the first one I wrote about Riley, so I decided to make another one. I do not own Iron Man and its characters. They belong to Marvel Comics. I don't own Twilight and its characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. Reviews equal a happy author!**

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Chapter One: Stark Expo

"Riley, get your ass up and moving." A voice hammered me to get up.

"Ugh, why, Tony?" I asked with a pissed off sleepy voice. It was unnecessary, but I had to remind myself that I wasn't a human. "It's seven in the morning on a Saturday." I had returned home from hunting an hour ago and I had pulled my on not too long ago. I gave myself a sleepy appearance by running my fingers through my hair so it looked messy. I lay on my stomach and waited for my brother to come in my room. _Isn't it a little t__oo early to be swearing in the morning, Tony,_ I thought. The door opened and I heard his footsteps reach my bed.

"The Stark Expo is tonight, you ding dong." He reminded me as he sat on the end of my bed, "And your band is performing, remember? We got to get you guys over there early so you can practice."

"_Oh_." I realized, "How could I forget that?"

"Yeah, Riley," He said with a hard expression. I sat up in my bed facing him. Lately, Tony hasn't been himself. And it's been bugging me. "Come on, let's get moving." He let out a sigh as he stood up and left my room. I myself let out a sigh.

_Can't believe you've been a vampire for seven months,_ A familiar voice asked me.

_Edward, are you outside on the deck_, I asked my very good friend.

_Well, good morning to you too,_ He mentally laughed, _I'm in downtown actually._

I gave a small chuckle and smiled. _I can manage to believe it. Are you and the others coming to the Expo tonight?_

_We wouldn't miss our favorite undead guitarist perform. We all wish you good luck._

_Why wish me so early?_

_Security is going to be very tight all day. Even if we can run past them, it's going to be impossible to get by without being noticed. _

_Hmm, well, you do have an excellent point there, Edward._

_Let's just say it's one of the advantages of living for a long time. We've seen how tight security has evolved over time._

_Really, how so?_

_Instead of drunken overweight men, there are tall burly men who have sharp minds._

"Riley, get moving!" Tony shouted from the bottom of the stairs. _God, what is she doing up there?_

"I'm moving, Tony!" I flung my words at him. _Damn, my brother's been acting like a total jerk lately. It's starting to piss me off._

_Your brother's been busy. He's got a lot on his mind._

"RILEY JEAN STARK!"

_Whoa. Haven't heard that sentence in a long time._

_You'd better get moving, Riley. I don't want to be the cause of you being late._

_Yes, Dad, I'm moving,_ I joked. Edward replied with a laugh. _See you later, Edward. Tell the others I said 'hi'._

_I will, Riley. Good bye. I'll see you later._

I got out of bed with a sigh. Within a blink of an eye, I ran impossibly fast getting dressed and brushing my hair. Ah, one of the great advantages of being a vampire: the amazing speed. Then there's the inhuman strength, an extra unique ability –for me, it happens to be able to read minds-, living forever, not sleeping, breathing, going to the bathroom, or eating crappy human food. Downside is managing our thirst by drinking blood. We have two options: human or animal blood. Obviously, because I don't want to kill anyone, I drink animal blood. This in the process turns my irises a golden brown color. If vampires haven't had blood in awhile, our eyes turn black. If we drink human blood, our eyes turn a crimson red.

I pulled out my electric guitar and headed downstairs. I remembered, painfully, the reason why I was turned. I was in a terrible car wreck caused by a semi truck driver that Obadiah Stane had paid to kill me. I was dying from blood loss. So Edward's 'father', Carlisle, saved my life by turning me. And let me tell you, it was extremely painful. I had second thoughts that I wouldn't make it, but I did. One thing that was branded on my mind was Tony while I suffered the three painful days of the transformation.

Thankfully, I had my vampire 'family' to help me through the tough times with my thirst. Six months ago, Tony had created a suit that had weapon artillery, which, I got to help him build it. People began to call him Iron Man. A few weeks later, Tony had to use it to battle against Stane on the roof of the Stark Industries factory. The next day, Tony had a press conference and told the world he was Iron Man. Personally, I think it was a stupid choice to tell the world that he's Iron Man. The Press won't stop leaving us alone. For once, I'm glad that I haven't told the world that I'm the famous guitar player, Riley Black. Kind of a cheesy for me to keep my first name, but oh well.

_Man, where's Pepper when you need her_, I asked myself. "You okay, Tony?" I asked him as I reached the kitchen.

"I'm just stressed out about the Expo tonight." He said, "That's all." I gave him a 'That's not what's bothering you' look. Tony knew me too well. He hated it when I gave him that look. "Riley, I'm sorry if I've been acting rude around you. You must have a strong reason to hate me. It's just that I've got a lot of stuff on my mind. The anniversary of Mom and Dad's accident is coming up soon, and we both know how hard that is on us." He pulled me gently into his arms and gave me a long hug. "I know you're going to be amazing tonight." He added with a smile.

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Thousands of cheering fans reached my ears as tonight finally came. But aside from the deafening cheering that would drive any human crazy, there were the thoughts of thousands of people, and every single scent that belonged to them reached me. I waited behind the stage curtain massaging my temples at the somewhat annoying noise that made my head throb and slowly pacing. I adjusted my appearance in the reflection of my guitar that hung by my waist. I heard a roar of jets from above that got louder and louder.

Tony would be dropping in for his entrance. Literally. Suddenly, a loud metal clank reached my ears and the cheering fans were louder than ever. Music by AC/DC was blaring from speakers making the moment very exciting. I heard the familiar whir of mechanical robot arms with drills begin to take Tony's suit apart onstage and store it underneath the stage. _Boy, am I happy that I went hunting last night._

"You alright, Riley?" The band's lead singer, Andy, come up behind me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. The guys knew who I really am and they have done an excellent job of keeping my secret safe from the world.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I assured him.

"Just making sure because you had a strange look on your face."

"Oh, it's good to be back!" Tony's voice echoed through the mic. "You missed me? I missed the cue?"

"I love you!" One girl screamed from the crowd.

"Blow something up!" One guy screamed from the crowd.

"You want me to blow something up?" Tony asked. "I already did that." The crowd went into another cheering frenzy. Tony waited for them to calm down before he spoke again. "I'm not saying that the world isn't enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years because of me." He had to wait again because of a reply of cheering of approval. "I'm not saying that from the ashes of captivity never has a greater metaphor personified in human history. I'm not saying that Uncle Sam can kick back on a lawn chair sipping on ice tea because I haven't come across anyone who's mad enough to go toe to toe with me on my best day!" In the crowd's mind, I could see that Tony had a great big smile in return. "Please, it's not about you. It's not even about us. It's about legacy. It's about what we choose to leave behind for future generations. And that's why next year, and for the first time since 1974, the best brightest men and women of nations and corporations of the world will pool over resources, share their collect division to leave behind a brighter future!

"It's not about us! Therefore what I'm saying, if I'm saying anything, is welcomed back to the Stark Expo." Many cheers of approval could be heard throughout the arena. "And now, making a special guest appearance from the Great Beyond, to tell you what it's all about, please welcome, my father, Howard." Tony gave a small bow and exited the stage as a video on the huge screen above the stage begin to play. Far off in the corner of the stage were a group of dancers that were dressed in red leather made to look like they were wearing the mini arc reactor chestpiece that was keeping metal shrapnel out of Tony's heart, fake repulsors, jetboots, and spandex underwear.

_God, that has to be so uncomfortable_, I noted. Tony walked by them and gave them a smiling nod as they began giggling, giving him hello waves, and blowing kisses.

"Hi, Tony," One of them cooed. Tony smiled back and kept walking by. He headed to a table that was away from them with his back to us. I saw him pull a small object from his pocket and place his finger on it. A scent suddenly reached me. Human blood. The familiar scent of this person's blood didn't take long to figure out who it belonged to. I held my breath hoping that the thirst would erupt in my throat in reply to the smell. It was Tony's blood.

_Is Tony taking a blood test, _I wondered. I heard a small beep come from the device and Tony let out a sigh as he read it.

_Great. My blood has sixteen percent of palladium in it_, He thought with a great amount of sarcasm. _What am I going to tell Riley? That I'm slowly dying from palladium poisoning? She would be upset. We've already lost Mom and Dad. I don't want her to lose me too._ I faced away from him as I heard his footsteps approach me. "Hey, kiddo," He greeted me with a warm smile and a hug, "You having fun yet?"

"Yep," I smiled and nodded, "I just really don't like those dancers over there." I looked over his shoulder. He turned at what I was looking at and chuckled.

"They aren't that bad." He said eyeing one of them.

"Whoa, watch it." I suddenly said, "I've seen how you look at Pepper."

"So?"

"You like her. A lot more than just friends."

"What do you mean, Riley?" He did his best to sound confused.

"Oh cut the crap act, Tony." I waved it away, "You loooooove Pepper." I drew out the word in a teasing voice. "You love her."

"No I don't."

"Love her." I teased.

"Nu-uh,"

"Yes you do. You love Pepper."

"Riley-"

"Tony and Pepper sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G." I sang. That shut him up. He stared at me with wide eyes. He was silent for a minute, but all I could reply with was laughter.

"I can't believe you." He finally said, "Come here, you weirdo." He reached out in a neck lock and began giving me a noogie.

"Tony-" I struggled trying to get away without hurting him with my inhuman strength.

"Look who's got you now!" He did his victory laugh. After another minute of 'noogie time', Tony finally let me go. I gave him one of my 'I hate you in the joking way' looks. "But you still love me even after I torment you." He replied. "You're going to go on after the video of Dad, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'll introduce you to the crowd and then you'll play." He explained. I set off to find the guys. "Oh, and Riley," I stopped in my tracks and turned around. "You'll do fine. Wait, scratch that. You'll do amazing." I returned his comment with a smile. Quickly, I found them and explained them what Tony told me. Then when no one was looking, I sped off in a blink to my dressing room and found what I was looking for. I invented a device that you stick on you like a patch on your throat near the vocal cords. And when you talk or sing, your voice will come out sounding with whatever you have the pitch of voice you have it set. And, it matches skin tone so that no one will notice. It's really me singing, but set so that my voice would sound more guy-like. I sped back to the back of the stage and walked over to the band in our spot on the stage behind the curtain.

"You ready?" Andy asked.

"Yep," I grinned, "No butterflies or second thoughts."

"Patch working?" To double check, I sung a line from one of the songs that we'll perform. "Yeah, you're definitely going to make the ladies swoon easily." Andy grinned.

"Tonight, we have a special musical guest to entertain us. I have been great friends with them for many months. And let me tell you, they're the greatest music group of talented young people that I have ever met. Please welcome, Black Void!" Tony introduced. The curtain rose up as people began cheering wildly. Tony joined in the cheering as he walked off stage. "GO RILEY!" He whooped. I didn't even bother to suppress the chuckle that came deep within me.


	2. Chapter 2: Roosevelt Hotel

**Hey all of you readers who stay with the story,**

**I am so so so so so so so so sorry that I haven't updated in so long! I've had a crazy schedule which mainly consisted of marchingband and school. So feel free to submit a review on what you think of the chapter, what you think should happen between with some characters, or whatever. Remember, I don't own any of the Iron Man chacters, they belong to the amazing Stan Lee and I don't own any of the Twilight characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer. I only own Riley, Sam, Jake, and Nicole.**

** Promise I'll update in a few weeks. Love you all in the non-creepy way,**

** SHF95 :)**

**Chapter 2: Roosevelt Hotel**

After we played, I felt relieved to get off the stage. I saw Happy, our chauffer and bodyguard, standing next to Tony at the side of the stage. "Riley, my little sis'," Tony began, "I should treat you tonight. That was awesome." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "That was one of the best performances I've seen." He smiled. "You guys were fantastic!" He gave the guys a pat on the back.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," Andy walked up to us, "That means a lot coming from you."

"Mr. Stark was mine and Riley's father. Please, call me Tony." Tony said.

"Well, thank you, Tony." Andy replied, "Excellent job tonight, Riley."

"Thanks, Andy." I replied. Tony gave me an odd look. I stared back at him. "What?"

"Did you do something different to your voice?" He asked.

"You now just noticed?" I kept staring at him.

"I noticed while you were performing. What did you do?"

"Well, you're not the only one in the family who's been inventing gadgets, Tony." I grinned at him. I peeled the tiny patch off of my neck and my voice instantly was normal. "Voice patches. You stick them to your neck and set it to and pitch you want and when you speak or sing, you have that pitch as your voice for as long as you have the patch on you." I explained.

Tony took the patch and stuck it on his neck and started talking in the same pitch I used only moments ago. "Oh, whoa that's really weird." He was taken by surprised at the sound of his voice, "I sound like when I was a freshman in high school. Weird, but cool," I handed him the watch to control the settings on it. He set it to a deep voice. "Riley, I-am-your-brother," He spoke with a serious tone by added Darth Vader breathing to it. He set it up to a pitched that made him sound like he was a chipmunk. We were all getting a kick out of it. He peeled off the patch and handed it back. "Alright, we better get back home because we have some things we need to do tomorrow."

We congratulated each other on our performances and exited the stage. I pulled off my wig and beanie and stuffed them in a case and we headed out where we were greeted with many people. So much buzz was going on. One girl gave Tony her phone number.

"Call me." She said. We walked by some other people who were eager to shake hands with us.

"Hi, Tony," A dark haired woman said.

"I remember you." Tony replied. He signed a few Iron Man pictures and patted a little boy who was wearing an Iron Man helmet. "Nice helmet." Happy got us to a car where a red haired woman was waiting next to it. "I'm driving, Happy." I climbed in the back of the car where I stuck my guitar case on the floor. "Ooh does she come with the car?" He asked viewing at the woman.

"Well let's certainly hope so." Happy said.

"Hi." Tony greeted the woman.

"Hi." She replied.

"What's your name?"

"Marshal,"

"I'm Tony."

"Hi, Tony,"

"Where you from,"

"Bedford."

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," She explained and handed him a letter. "Senate appearance,"

Tony stared at the paper. "Yikes." Happy reached over and took the letter for him.

"He doesn't like to be handed." Happy said.

"Yeah, I don't like to be handed." Tony agreed.

"You are hereby ordered to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning at nine a.m." Marshal informed Tony.

"Can I see your badge?" Tony asked. I raised an eyebrow.

"You want to see the badge?" She asked a little confused.

"He likes the badge." I explained. She held up the badge for Tony to see.

_Oh, my God she's got a badge_, Tony exclaimed with excitement.

"You'll still make it?" Marshal asked.

"Yep," He replied. "How far away from D.C are we?" He asked Happy.

"D.C," Happy inhaled a deep breath thinking how far it was. "Two hundred fifty miles,"

"Great. We'll see you tomorrow." Tony replied. He revved the engine and took off. I sat in the back in silence thinking that I could reach D.C in so much quicker time without making any stops. "Hey let's stay at our favorite hotel. Do you remember which is our favorite hotel is, Riley?"

"Isn't it the Roosevelt Hotel?" I tracked the name in my memories.

"Yep that's the one." Tony smiled. "It's been awhile since we were last there. How many years has it been, Happy?"

"Nine years." Happy replied.

"Ah the good old days," I sighed. "Oh how I do indeed miss them. Back when the only things that mattered were what toys were the best and what color to choose from the crayon box."

"Now I remember that you and I ran up and down the halls on the top floor playing hide and seek. And I also remember pushing you around on one of those luggage carts." Tony remembered.

"Oh wow," I replied. "It really has been a long time when we last did that." Tony chuckled. We drove on for a little more while and reached the Roosevelt Hotel. A young man that looked about to be in college who parked the guests' cars was waiting with a shock on his face.

"You're Tony and Riley Stark!" He exclaimed with excitement. I helped Happy get the bags from the trunk.

"Last time I check, yes we are. How are you doing tonight?" Tony answered.

"I'm doing great. I heard about the Stark Expo opening was tonight."

"Yeah, it went well. You plan on going there sometime?"

"I'm planning on going there with a group of friends soon."

"Alright, man." Tony patted him on the back. "It'll be worth it." We left him hyperventilating as we headed inside the hotel.

_Oh, my God I talked to Tony Stark_, He squealed in his mind. I laughed quietly to myself. Ah, Edward would get a kick out of this guy's thoughts. Two doormen held open the golden doors with a smile on their faces.

"Welcome to the Roosevelt Hotel Mr. and Miss Stark." They greeted.

"Thank you very much." Tony nodded.

"You seem to be in a chipper mood tonight." I noticed.

"Well what do you expect? The Expo opened tonight, it went well, and I'm still having an adrenaline rush from jumping out of that army plane and a fear of facing Senator Stern tomorrow." We walked up the elegant staircase that opened into a beautiful lobby.

"I forgot how beautiful this place is." I unnecessary breathed. On one end there was a long area of the front desk that was made from red marble.

"Good evening, Mr. Stark. What can we do for you tonight?" A female employee at the desk greeted us with a smile. She was obviously trying to get noticed.

"Uh, yes we need three rooms on the top floor." Tony informed.

"And for how long will you be staying?"

"Just for the night," Tony replied.

"Alright, just sign here and I will be back with your room keys." She replied. Tony signed the book and the employee returned with three keys made of a gold colored metal. "Enjoy your stay at the Roosevelt, Mr. Stark." She flashed another white smile.

"Never in my entire life have I ever been looking this forward to flop onto a hotel bed." I sighed as Tony handed me a key.

"I'm not really all that tired. What about you, Happy?" Tony replied.

"I'm a little tired, but I'll survive the elevator ride." Happy responded as we walked across the elegant lobby to the elevators on the other side of the room. Happy pushed the button and we climbed inside. I pushed the button for the top floor and we stood there waiting for a few minutes. Those few minutes in the elevator were excruciating for me. If I didn't hold my breath, I would have been overcome by the Thirst. And that could have ended badly for all of us.

"I'll be in my room." I said as I got out of the elevator and walked down the hall to find my room. I found my room, which was 1918. I chuckled quietly to myself at the number. 1918 was the year Carlisle turned Edward into a vampire to save him from the Spanish Flu. I unlocked the door and entered the room closing it behind me. I set my bag on a chair and stretched out on the bed. My eyes found the city skyline outside my window. _Ah, crap I don't know what I'm going to do to pass the time away_, I mentally groaned. A soft knock was at my door. I blurred to the door and opened it.

"Hey," Tony was at my door. "You did good tonight, Riley."

"What is it, Tony?" I suspected something. "When you say something like that, I can always guess you're up to something."

"Mind if I come in?" He changed the subject. I stood aside and let him in. "I acted such like an asshole to you today. I'm really sorry that I yelled at you. It's just that I've never gotten the love that Dad gave to you. I always thought that you were the favorite child."

"Really, because I thought that _you_ were the favorite because you're so much freaking smarter than me and you're doing something productive with your life." I lied on my stomach on the bed.

"Hey, you dope, you're doing something productive with your life too. Playing music and art are your best things. I could never play the piano, the guitar, the other stuff you play, and draw like you." He sat next to me on the bed. "I still owe you a treat for doing an amazing job tonight, not only that because you're my favorite sister."

"I'm you're only sister." I replied.

"You're still my favorite." He smiled. "Let's go to the mall. I hear that all of the teenagers of your time hang around there."

"What about Happy," I asked.

"He's out like a light. So it'll be just you and me. Just like the old days." Tony got up and headed to the door. "You coming?" I grabbed my jacket and pulled it on as we headed out the door.

Tony and I hung out at the mall where he bought me a gift for making up for his stupidity act on me today. Kind of to my distaste, we were being followed by many people, but it wasn't as bad as I would think it would be. We hung around Hot Topic where I got some new beanies to wear, a Kingdom Hearts Keyblade logo messenger bag, and a pair of Kingdom Hearts Heartless logo fingerless gloves. And I threw in a pair of new black high tops because the pair I currently own are getting into a crappy shape because of all the running I do.

"What is it with you and black high top Converse?" Tony asked as we left the store.

"They're really comfy and they're something I wear." I replied. "Is there something wrong with what I wear?"

"No, I like your style. It's just that you look gorgeous whenever you dress up once in awhile." Tony smiled.

"Aw, you make me feel special."

"That's because you are very special." He put an arm around me and kissed me on the head. We hung out some more at the mall where we found a GameStop to mess around in. Tony bought an Xbox while I picked out a few games. I found Mirror's Edge, Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed 2, and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. "Hmm, Assassin's Creed and Mirror's Edge," Tony observed my choices. "Shall we play them when we get back to the hotel?"

"Oh we shall. I'll hook it up in my room so it's away from Happy's room." I grinned.

"I'm gonna kick your butt at them."

"Hmm, good luck with that, Tony." I chuckled. We paid for our stuff and headed out.

"Want to go to Starbucks?"

"Heck yeah I do," I replied going on with it. "I haven't been there in forever."

"What are you in the mood for?"

"A caramel frappuccino sounds pretty good to me right now."

"Ooh, that sounds nice. I think I'll get a Tazo Green Tea."

"Really, you like that stuff?" I stared at him.

"Yeah, it's good. How can you stand the caramel frappuccino?"

"Good point," I shrugged. We headed into the café where the workers were excited at our arrival.

"A Tazo Green Tea and a caramel frappuccino," Tony ordered our drinks. While we waited, Tony asked about the games we bought. "So what's Mirror's Edge and the Assassin's Creed games about?"

"Mirror's Edge is about a city that takes place sometime in the future where it's under a totalitarian state by the government. There's a group of people called Runners that carried encrypted messages and packages all across the city. They have to avoid the police by running on rooftops which is called parkour. Sometimes they'll have to defend themselves by using hand to hand combat." I explained the concept of the game.

"That sounds very interesting. So what's the Assassin's Creed games about?"

"The Assassin's Creed games start out in the year 2012. There's a man named Desmond Miles who is kidnapped by this science industry called Abstergo Industries. They put Desmond in this machine called the Animus which allows him to view genetic memories. Or memories his ancestors experienced. The head of Abstergo is a Templar. There is a war between the Templars and a group of people called the Assassins, which they're the good guys in the games. They fight for this powerful object called the Apple of Eden. Anyway, you can run around across the rooftops of buildings, use these pretty cool weapons like the hidden blade, and you can get around to different cities by riding a horse, or sometimes travel on a boat."

"That sounds awesome. You're making me want to play this even more."

"Your Green Tea and caramel frappuccino, Mr. Stark," The employee handed our drinks. Tony tipped them in the tip jar and we headed out.

"So, what's been going on with you and Edward lately?" Tony asked. "Are you two dating each other? I think you both would make a great couple." I nearly spat some of the frappuccino that I drank out. "What?" He asked about the look I was giving him.

"You never ask me questions like that." I replied. "Since when do you wonder about Edward and me being an item?"

"Well, when was the last time you had a boyfriend? A long time ago if I'm right," Tony said as we walked to the exit of the mall. "Not only that, but I'm worried if you'll get hurt by some guy."

"Tony, the two of us aren't dating." I clearly explained. "I understand that you're worried about me, but I'm not a little girl anymore." He put an arm around me.

"I know you're not little, but you will always be my baby sister no matter how old you are to me. You grow up too fast by the way."

"I'm sorry if I do," I replied. I tossed my nearly finished frappuccino in the nearest garbage can.

"Hey if you didn't you wouldn't be running around on tours playing in front of thousands of people, find the time to learn many instruments, and make incredible works of art." He held the door of the mall opened and we headed out. "Race you to the car like old times?"

"You're on," I grinned. We found a starting point and took off. I jogged keeping the real speed of when I run hidden from him. Cold air blew past us as we ran against each other across the parking lot. "Hmm, you're slowing down there, Tony." I taunted.

"Really, because I think that I'm going faster than you, Twerp." He laughed. The car got closer and closer as we reached further. I outstretched my hand getting ready to place it on the car.

"I beat you," We said at the exact same time as our hands smacked the car. Tony was way out of breath. He had to lean against the car for support.

"I swear, Riley, you're killing me." He panted. "Was it a tie?"

"I think so," I replied.

"Good Lord, you're fast." He chuckled. He opened the passenger door open and I climbed in putting our stuff in the back. Tony started the car and we pulled out of the mall's lot heading back to the hotel. We moved quickly once we got inside the hotel. Somehow the ride up to the 19th floor was really quick. The two of us headed to my room where I switched on the light and set my stuff on the bed. I pulled the Xbox out and shifted the TV so I could hook it up. I read the instructions on hooking it to the TV which only took me a few minutes to do. I had to set up some things on there like an account name.

"You should name it rjstark." He stared at the screen coming up with a name. I pressed in the buttons quickly getting the name in there. I pulled out my phone checking the date and time. Once I got those put in there, we were ready to play one of the games.

"Which one do you want to play first?" I asked.

"How about Mirror's Edge for a little bit and then we'll play Assassin's Creed." Tony suggested. I popped in the game and we waited for it to load up. I set the game on the normal mode and we began to play.

"Whenever you're running, you want to keep running at a constant speed, otherwise, it's not parkour. You'd also get screwed by the cops who come shooting at you if you don't keep running." I gave him a little advice as he started on the first level. I watched as he jumped over obstacles and jumped across the rooftops. On his third jump, he missed the ledge and the character fell. "Your knees," I laughed at his reaction when he fell. "Just went up to your head."

"Hey, I'm new at this game. You have to give me some credit for actually trying." He frowned in thought as he missed another jump. While he was playing and soon getting the hang of it, my cell phone buzzed. I pulled it out and flipped it open. One text message was from Sam and the other was from Nicole.

Sam's text read:

_Hey Riley! You were awesome tonight! I watched your performance on TV! _

I sent her a text back:

_Sam! Thanks for your support! So what have you and your bf Jake been doing? I can't wait to see you when I get back on Sunday. Tony and I have to go to DC tomorrow because there's some dumbass senator that wants to see us. And I've heard that he's a douche._

Nicole's text read:

_Omg Riley! R u and Edward going out with each other? If u r, then u 2 make a cute couple! Oh and Tony did awesome at the Expo opening 2nite. _

Jeeze what was with people thinking that Edward and I are together? I know that people see us hang out with each other all the time, but still….

_Nope Nicole Edward and I aren't dating. You're the second person to ask me that today. If anything happens between the two of us, though, I'll let you and Sam be the first ones to know. I pinkie promise._

"Sam and Nicole say 'Hi'." I said looking up after putting my phone away. "And they said that you kicked ass tonight at the Expo."

"Aw that's nice of them." He replied. "But I didn't kick major ass like you." I responded with a chuckle. We saved our progress on Mirror's Edge and switched to Assassin's Creed. We played for about another hour and a half until Tony decided to go to bed. "We should probably get to bed. We're going to need the sleep." He got up and gave me a good night hug with a kiss on the head. "Love you."

"Love you, too." I replied.

"Good night, Riley." He said as he closed the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3: Phone Conversation

**Hello there, my fellow readers!**

**I am honest to God truely sorry that I haven't updated anything in a long time. Blame it all on school! Luckily, I only have around 2 weeks left so that means I will be able to update more often. If this chapter seems a bit rubbish or confusing, I'm sorry. I haven't been writing a whole bunch and my skills might be a bit rusty. So, leave a comment which would be great. And if it doesn't kill you, you could tell me what you like about the story so far. Don't forget to check out my other stories I have on here! And I am deeply saddened that the Smallville tv series is ending on Friday. So if you watch that, don't forget!**

**Lots of Love From SHF95**

**P.S: You guys are great!**

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**Chapter Three: Phone Conversation**

I sat against the foot of my bed not knowing what to do. I couldn't exactly go run out and do whatever I wanted in this city. _Great_, I thought with a great amount of boredom, _I get to sit here in my room locked up like Rapunzel. _My phone buzzed a certain pattern. Someone was calling me. _Who could that be_, I wondered aimlessly. I pulled it out flipping it open without looking at the caller. "Hello?"

"Hello, Riley." A smooth voice that I immediately recognized greeted me. I hid a small grin.

"Hi, Edward," I greeted back.

"How are you tonight?"

"Quite bored actually after the excitement that happened after tonight," I admitted. He laughed his soft musical laughter.

"You were amazing with your performance."

"You saw that?"

"I'd never miss you performing."

"Speaking of performing, I composed a piece for the piano that reminds me of you." I grinned.

"Well, I must hear you play it when you get back. When do you get back?"

"I'll be back on Sunday. Tony and I have this meeting with Senator Stern tomorrow in DC. Well, mostly Tony, but I have to be there because I have no way to get back home."

"There is the option of running."

"Even with how fast we can run it would still take a long time." I replied.

"Yes, but you and I are the fastest in the family. I don't think it would take too terribly long." He chuckled with amusement. We were both quiet for a moment.

"I miss you." I suddenly said.

"I miss you too." He replied. "We all miss you as a matter of fact."

"Tell the others I said 'Hi' and I miss them too." I smiled at his comment.

"Hang on a moment, I'll put you on speaker and they'll hear you." I heard a small beep followed by several voices.

"Is that Riley on the phone?" I heard Alice's voice. "Hi, Riley!"

"Hey, Alice," I let out a chuckle. "Would you find it sad that I told you that it's quite boring over here in New York?"

"Is it really?" She was surprised.

"Yes, actually,"

"I'm quite surprised to hear you say that." She replied. I let out a laugh. "Hang on a second, Jasper and the others just came back from hunting." I heard several pairs of footsteps grow louder and louder.

"Well, hello there, Miss Riley." Jasper said in his slight southern accent that he always had.

"Hello, to you too, Mister Jasper," I giggled.

"Everything going alright over there in the city that never sleeps,"

"Yeah, it's a bit too crowded for my taste though. I'm more of a woods/ forest person."

"Aren't we all?" He laughed.

"I can't wait any longer to see you all on Sunday."

"You won't be coming home tomorrow?"

"Unfortunately, no we're not because we have to meet this Senator Stern tomorrow in D.C."

"Well, that really douses everything."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Jasper."

"It's alright. We'll be looking forward for Sunday."

"Hey, it's my turn to talk to Riley now." I heard Emmett in the background. I chuckled in amusement. "Riley, hey how's my favorite rock star doing?"

"I'm doing pretty well. How about you, Emmett?"

"I'm doing fine. We got back from hunting a few minutes ago."

"Catch any grizzlies?"

"Yes we did. And we had them in your name. They were huge ones too."

"That's kind of you." I smiled.

"Oh, I think Carlisle and Esme want to talk to you."

"Alright," I waited again.

"Riley," Carlisle's voice greeted me with warmth. "How are you holding up over there?"

"Pretty well, surprisingly," I replied. "I actually thought that I was going to have some difficulty with it, but I'm not."

"That's very good to hear." He replied. "You're making great progress."

"So how are things over at the hospital?"

"We had a slow day today surprisingly."

"That's strange when you think about what city we're living in." I responded to his answer. Carlisle let out a laugh.

"Yes, it does sound strange when you put it that way." He calmed down letting out an unnecessary sigh. "We sure do miss you being around here."

"Oh I'll only be gone for another day and then I'll be back. And when I do get back, if there is a storm soon, I think a game of baseball is in order."

"We will definitely play a game when you get back." Carlisle replied. "Alright, I should let Edward have his phone back. It was nice talking to you."

"It was nice talking to you and the others, too. I miss and love you all."

"We love you too, Riley." I heard a soft beep and Edward was the only one who I could hear on the phone.

"I'm pretty sure Rosalie won't say anything." I shrugged.

"Well, you never know." He replied. "One day, she'll say something to you. It just takes time." For the rest of the long night, I wasted it away by talking to Edward. Hearing his voice made me yearn to go home badly. I was tempted to run out of New York and run all the way back home. Sure it might be a few days' trip, but Edward and I are the fastest in the family. Also, I wouldn't even have to worry about stopping at a hotel to sleep or go somewhere to eat.

When it was around four in the morning, I had to say my goodbyes to him. I pulled on my pajamas and messed my hair up to make it look like I had been sleeping all night. I didn't climb into bed until it was quarter to five. Tony would be waking me up soon and we would be leaving at 5:30. I threw the pillow on top of my head and waited. Sometimes I wish that vampires had the ability to sleep, but no matter how hard I wished for it, it would never happen. I closed my eyes even though it was useless and let out a deep sigh. A knock at my door brought me back to reality. The door hinges squeaked slightly as it opened and a pair of footsteps entered the room.

"Riley," Tony said my name in a singsong voice. "Time to get up sleepyhead," I let out a fake sleepy groan that was pretty accurate. "Oh, I know you hate getting up early, but we have to get going. We have to go and meet Senator Stern and the others at the meeting."

"Senator Stern and the other uptight weirdoes can go screw themselves." I groaned. I had a feeling that today's visit wasn't going to be a pleasant one. "I have a bad feeling about the meeting today." Tony pulled the pillow off of my head.

"Morning," He replied at my prediction.

"Morning," I sat up. Tony sat at the foot of my bed and pushed a stray lock of my hair behind one of my ears.

"Sleep well?" He asked.

"For the most part, yes,"

"And the other part is?"

"I'm just feeling excited to go home and see everyone and it kind of kept me up."

"Don't worry. We'll be home at two in the afternoon." He ruffled my hair. Tony then quickly got up from my bed and headed to the door. "We're leaving the hotel in twenty minutes so let's get going, Riley." I took my pillow and chucked it at him.

"Well get out if you want me to hurry." I grinned. Tony replied with a chuckle and exited the room closing the door behind him. I got up and blurred to my bag grabbing out a pair of baggy jeans, a button up black shirt that I rolled the sleeves up, a pair of socks, undergarments, and a hairbrush. Quickly I got dressed and pulled my black and white high-top Chucks on and brushed my hair. I packed up my stuff including my Xbox and the games and checked my reflection to make sure I looked decent and headed downstairs to the lobby.

I plopped down in one of the dark purple living chairs that sat in a corner of the lobby after looking around the place waiting for Tony and Happy. Hmm, and he complains about me taking a long time. Finally after ten long minutes, the elevator's machinery hummed loudly as it approached the first floor. Tony and Happy came out carrying their own suitcases.

"Good morning, Riley." Happy greeted me.

"Hey, Happy," I returned the greeting with a smile. We checked out and headed out to the car.

"We have a jet waiting at a nearby airport so we should be moving quickly, Mr. Stark." Happy checked the time on his watch. We helped put the luggage in the car and headed to the airport at a quick speed. It was a good thing there wasn't any traffic on the highway but there was small traffic at the airport which wasn't too bad.

A giant private jet with the Stark Industries logo on the tail was waiting for us at the airport. A crew of stewards and pilots were waiting at the foot of the stairs for us. Three of them came over and helped us carry our luggage to the jet and put it in storage.

"Good morning, Mr. and Miss Stark." They greeted.

"Hi." We greeted back. Tony let out a yawn.

"Excuse me; I'm a little tired this morning." He apologized.

"No worries, Mr. Stark. You can sleep on the way to D.C. We'll fulfill any needs that you have." A stewardess replied. We walked up the stairs and climbed in the jet.

"Wheels up," One of the pilots said.

"Rock and roll," Tony and I replied with a grin.


	4. Chapter 4: Scott and Sawyer

**Hello!**

**Sorry for the long gap of time for updating. I've had a busy schedule this past summer. Anyway, here's the next chapter. And remember; the more reviews, the sooner the updates. But I've been thinking for a little while since I saw Captain America: First Avenger, which by the way is really awesome. Do you guys think Riley should have some encounters with the Avengers? Give it some thought and lemme know.**

**Peace!**

**SHF95**

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**Chapter Four: Scott and Sawyer**

We buckled in the seats and wait for takeoff. Tony rubbed his eyes and let out another yawn. I noticed the dark circles and bags under his eyes.

"You should definitely get some sleep once we're in the air." I suggested while pulling out my sketchpad and a pencil. I flipped open to a blank page and began to draw some ideas for a possible outfit for my Night Runner persona. I thought about using a similar idea to the outfit Ezio wore in Assassin's Creed 2.

"What are you working on, Riley?" Tony asked taking a small interest at my sketchbook.

"A possible idea for a new look for my Night Runner persona," I explained.

"Ooh that's exciting." He sat up taking a great deal of interest. "So what ideas do you have?"

"I'm thinking about using a similar design to the armor the character Ezio wears in Assassin's Creed 2. Only of it being white, it's going to be black and have some silver in it."

"That sounds interesting." Tony replied.

_"Attention, this is your captain speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts. We are going to take off in a few moments." _The pilot spoke over the intercom.

"Would you like the morning paper, Mr. Stark?" A steward asked. He looked twenty years old. He was tall, strongly built, had brown hair and eyes, and I'll admit he looked attractive.

"Yes, please and thank you." Tony replied. The steward grabbed a copy and placed it on the table. I pulled the shade down from the window just to make sure there wouldn't be any sunlight coming in at me. "Oh and one more thing," Tony requested.

"Yes, Mr. Stark?"

"Can we pull the shades down?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Stark, I understand how difficult it is to catch some decent sleep when the sun's out."

"Thank you very much." Tony replied. The steward began to walk to the windows and pulled the shades down. He went into the other room and pulled the shades down in there too. There was a small buzz of thoughts humming in my head. I let out a sigh.

_At least there's not as many people on this plane to give me a headache like in school_, I silently thanked. The steward that pulled the shades down walked by and gave me a small smile and nodded.

_For a girl who is sixteen, she's pretty hot looking. Ooh especially those eyes…and she smells good. Damn, she's fine_, the steward's thoughts wandered off as he passed by. Okay, a little uncomforting, but then again, Edward is a little over a hundred years old. I shuddered slightly at the steward's thoughts. The hum of the jet's engines pulled me out of my thoughts and I waited patiently to get out of my seat. I sat there thinking about why I was getting the feeling that the meeting wasn't going to be a good one, but the reasons were an endless list.

The rumbling of the jet getting faster and faster helped eased my troubled thoughts and began to relax. Soon, we picked up enough speed to get into the air. Waiting for a few more seconds to be able to move around felt like hour that were extremely long. I let out an internal hallelujah chorus when the pilot announced we could move around.

"That took way too long." I muttered to Tony as we got up. He let out a chuckle.

"I agree. I noticed that the steward over there keeps looking at you, Riley." He added in a low voice.

"I noticed that, too. But don't worry, he's not my type." I replied easing Tony.

"Well that's good to hear. Besides, I think that Edward's a lot better for you than Steward-Boy over there."

"And what if he tries to talk to me?"

"Be nice and go with the flow. Or do whatever you crazy teens do these days to gently turn someone down. Now, if you kindly excuse me, I'm going to bed." He replied.

"Alright, sleep tight, Tony." I watched as he exited the room and closed the door behind him. A sudden conversation between the stewards in the other room came to my attention.

_"Scott, you don't even have a chance with her. She's like what, four years younger than you? You're in college and she's in high school. She's probably already in a relationship with someone."_

_ "Shut up, Sawyer. At least I've been in relationships before. I know how to charm the ladies. They can't resist me."_ The one called Scott who was staring at me earlier fired back at the other steward named Sawyer. Eesh, that's cold. _"Besides, I think she's alone right now. Just watch, Sawyer."_ I heard Scott's pair of footsteps walk to the door that divided their lounge from mine and he pulled the door open. Before he walked in, I walked quickly taking two steps back to my seat and sat down. Scott the Steward walked in and stood before me. "Is this seat taken?"

_Just go easy on him, Riley_, I pep-talked myself, "No, go ahead." I smiled.

"I'm Scott." He held out a hand sitting down.

"Riley." I shook his hand. He slightly flinched at my cold touch.

"So, uh…what's a girl like you going to D.C?" He asked.

"I have to sit through a meeting in which hundreds of people will be in it and several news-TV crews are going to be broadcasting it." I replied. "What's a guy like you working as a steward when you have the brains to be in college?"

"I didn't have enough money to continue my major in engineering so I dropped out of Stanford and found a job as a steward for the Stark Industries jet."

"That's a bummer." I responded.

_Ooh! She fell for my sob-sob story!_ His thoughts buzzed with excitement. "So….are you seeing anyone, Riley,"

"I'm not in a relationship, but there is a guy and things are a little iffy at the moment." I explained. "I could give you my number if things don't work out and they probably won't."

_SCORE! Sawyer is not going to believe this!_

"Alright, what's your number?" Scott asked a little too quickly and anxiously. I scribble down it down on a piece of paper and handed it to him.

"That would be my cell and I do have text." I got up leaving him stunned. I silently sniggered with my back turned from him. _Ah, men like him are sure easy to fool._

"Umm…thanks." He stammered. _Play it cool and walk out of the room._ Scott walked up and headed to the door. Instead of opening it, he walked right into it. I suppressed a snicker as I pulled out a bottle of Mountain Dew from the mini fridge keeping the human act up. He opened the door and walked quickly inside closing it behind him. _"I got her number!"_

_ "What? No, that quickly?"_

_ "Oh yeah, and I'll call her when she's in D.C."_

_ "Whatever, Scott," _Sawyer walked out. "Ah, hello, Miss Stark, is there anything you need? And I'm sorry about my friend." Sawyer was a very tall, thin, dark skinned man who looked the same age as Scott.

"I'm fine. And you can call me Riley. 'Miss Stark' seems too formal for someone my age."

"Okay, Riley," He replied. "I'm Sawyer Patterson. And that guy you gave your number to is Scott Ashton, but he's an ass. I'd be careful giving your number around to random guys."

I took a swig of the Mountain Dew. "Oh, believe me, I'm definitely not stupid enough to give my out to random guys."

"What number did you give him?"

"The number to Rejection Hotline," I replied. Sawyer let out a good laugh.

"That is so mean, but he deserves it. He's been a total douche around here thinking that he can score up a date with any girl. That's clever though. Where'd you learn a dirty trick like that?"

"My brother pulled it on this one woman before. I'll admit she was pretty good looking, but she acted like a whore." I explained heading back to my seat. "Feel free to join." I offered.

"I don't know if I should." Sawyer was hesitant.

"Hey, my brother and I have the highest authority on here so it's alright." I assured him.

"If you say so," He joined sitting across from me.

"So, Sawyer, what brings you to work on the jet?" I asked.

"Well, I went to Stanford for three years before I was forced to drop out."

"Money-related, I presume." I raised a brow.

"Yeah, Scott stole the whole 'Dropped out of Stanford because of not enough money' story from me. That's another reason why he's a douche. Steals bits of other people's life-story and makes it his own and trying to get himself some sympathy." He sighed with a stern expression.

"And you actually were majoring in engineering?" I asked another question. He nodded once. "So, has there been anyone?"

"There was one. Her name's Lisa Macklin. Best girl a guy could ever go out with." Sawyer smiled at the thought. An image of her flashed in my mind from his thoughts. "She was beautiful. Her smile was like looking at the stars on a clear night. She practically lit up an entire room when she laughed."

"What happened to her?"

"One evening, we got into a fight. She said that she was leaving Stanford to go back to her hometown, San Francisco, because her dad was dying and she was the only person he had left. She begged for me to come, but I told her I couldn't because I had very important exams the next day. Lisa ran out of my apartment yelling that it was over and that she never wanted to speak to me again."

"That's awful."

"That doesn't beat what happened one month later. I turned on the news one Saturday afternoon and found out that she was killed in San Francisco. Over the past few months, there has been an escalating death rate. Reports say they find bodies being drain of blood and their throats torn open. It's sick. Something out there is killing hundreds of innocent people. And it killed Lisa." He blinked frequently to stop tears from falling. I reached across the table and gave his hand a comforting squeeze.

"You won't be sad forever, Sawyer." I smiled weakly. "They're going to catch whoever did this. And I'm sure that you'll find someone out there that's like Lisa." Sawyer returned my smile with a small smile.


	5. Chapter 5: Defense Committee Hearing

**So this chapter is a little longer than I expected, but the longer, the better. I don't any characters except for Riley. Leave a review if you can.**

**-SHF95**

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**Chapter Five: Defense Committee Hearing**

Tony walked out of his room a few hours later with tousled hair and sleepy eyes. He sat across from me at the table where we sat earlier.

"Did you get any sleep?" I asked.

"I got some but not enough." He replied with a yawn. _I am really not looking forward to this hearing._ "What about you?"

"I was able to lay down for awhile." I answered.

"The sooner we get this done and over with, the better." Tony let his head rest on the table. "I'm extremely not looking forward to this."

"Neither am I and don't have a clue why you dragged me along to the hearing."

"Well I wasn't going to let you fly back home by yourself with some stewards you keep checking you out. They're like what, four years older than you?"

"I know what you mean, but I can take care of myself. I'm not seven years old." I slightly pursed my lips in argument. Tony got up and put an arm around me.

"I know you're not seven, but you'll always be my baby sis. And it's my job to make sure that nothing bad happens to you. Minus my three month being held hostage outside of Gulmira absence," Tony's engulfed me, but there was something in the scent that didn't smell quite right. I noticed it was there yesterday morning too. "And I just want to let you know that if anything ever happens to me, I will always love you."

"Are you trying to make up for being an ass or trying to prove that you're a better guardian than Dad was?" I found a hole.

"Way to kill the brother-sister bonding moment, Riley." He gave me a noogie. "But I am trying to make up for being an ass lately and prove that I'm a better guardian than Dad was."

"You're doing a mighty fine job at it." I smiled up at him. He let out a sigh of relief in return.

"How long do we have until we land in D.C?"

"About a half hour," I replied. "Which means…?"

"We should be getting ready." Tony finished. "Because teenage girls like you take so long getting ready." We got up and headed to our rooms.

"I do not!" I began to protest but he merely replied with laughter.

"I'm just messing with your head." He said before he closed his door. I stuck my tongue out at him. "Very childish of you, Riley,"

"Oh, and you dancing in your boxers while you brush your teeth isn't?" I smirked back at him. He had an expression of horror on his face. "Oh, I know all about that thanks to Jarvis." He made a run for me, but I quickly closed the door and locked it. "Hmm…" I wandered aimlessly to the closet. "What to wear to the hearing?" My phone chimed. I pulled it out and found a text message from Alice.

**Go with the black pants, blue tank top and black button up shirt. You look cute in them.**

Oh Alice. Even though you're hundreds of miles away from me, you're extremely helpful. My phone chimed yet again with another text from her.

**I know I'm extremely helpful. See you in a few hours.**

I pulled those clothes out and stripped the clothes I was wearing off of me and dressed myself in the ones sitting on my bed. I slipped my feet into a pair of simple black flats and put my hair back in a pony tail. I walked out to the seat again where I sat down. Tony still wasn't out yet. Ten minutes later he came out in a gray suit.

"Hmm and you said that girls take forever." I chuckled once. "But you look very good."

"Whatever, Butthead," He chuckled. "And thank you for the compliment."

_"Attention, this is your captain speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts. We are approaching our destination."_ The pilot announced over the intercom.

"Finally," I sighed while buckling up.

"I know what you mean by." Tony sat down and buckled in. Soon we felt the plane lower altitude as we reached the D.C airport. I was glad when the wheels touched the ground because that meant the sooner the hearing is done, the sooner I could go home. The weather in D.C called for a chance of rain today which was perfect.

A black limo was waiting for us near the foot of the stairs. Happy helped out by opening the door to the limo and we climbed in. He himself climbed in and sat across from us.

"Enjoy your flight, Mr. Stark and Riley?" He asked.

"Yes, it was a nice flight. I got the chance to lie down a bit before arriving." Tony replied nodding once.

"I pretty much drew in my sketchbook most of the time before I got the chance to sleep a little." I reported my own opinion.

"Really? I thought you would be talking to Edward for at least half of the trip." Tony was a bit surprised.

"Nope," I replied. "Didn't talk to him at all on the way,"

"Did you get a chance to look at your marching band music yet? Which by the way, I still can't believe you enjoy doing that. I mean, what's so great about walking around on a field and play music?" Tony asked.

"_Excuse me_?" I darkly asked.

"Uh, Mr. Stark," Happy began, "Maybe you should have worded that differently."

"I think so too, Happy." I agreed still giving Tony a dark glare. "What's so great about marching band, Tony, is to be able to be a part of something you enjoy doing. For example, you like building your cars, hanging out with women, and other crap. For me, it's playing music. That's why there's the Black Void and why I'm snare drum in the marching band, play the piano and the guitar. And occasionally the marimba, but my point is, I'm in it because I choose to, my friends are in it, I love it, and I don't have anything to do during the fall."

"Oh," Tony felt a bit of stupidity run through him which happens a lot when you live with him.

"Yeah," I stared at him. "And we're pretty damn good and kick ass. You should come watch us sometime if you're not busy." I stared out the window. "Which is never," I added under my breath.

* * *

The rest of the ride to Capitol Hill was pretty silent. All of us were pretty antsy to get out, go to the hearing, and get home. Only two hours of this and then I'm free. We were greeted by a large crowd of people which were mainly Press and senate members.

"Mr. Stark and Ms. Stark," A white-haired man shook our hands as soon as we climbed the steps. "It's so good to see you. I hope you enjoyed your flight on the way here."

"It's good to see you too, Mr. James." Tony replied. "How are things?"

"Things are swell, Mr. Stark." Mr. James replied. "And Ms. Riley, oh how wonderful it is to see you, my dear," I carefully gave Mr. James a welcome hug. Mr. William James was a long-time friend of our parents before they died. He used to come over often when they were alive but now he comes every once in awhile. In a way, I guess you could say he's like the grandfather I've never had. Technically speaking, I've never met my grandparents on either side. It's nice to have someone in your life that's close to being a figure you've never had.

"Hi, Mr. James," I smiled.

"My goodness it's been years since I last saw you. You were just a little tyke playing the piano. And you have become very beautiful. I see your mother's charm and beauty in you." He complimented.

"Thank you very much." I felt a tad bit embarrassed.

"And she's become quite the musician over time." Tony clapped a hand on my shoulder. "She's gifted at the piano, the guitar, and she's snare drum in the drumline at her school's marching band."

"That's wonderful to hear. You must tell me when your next performance is. I would love to come see you perform." Mr. James was delighted.

"We have a competition on the twenty-eight of September at the university here in town." I replied.

"My goodness that's only a few weeks away," He smiled. "What's your show this year?"

"Our show's called 'The Tell-Tale Heart' which is based off the poem by Edgar Allen Poe." I explained. "We've put a lot of hard work into it and it's a really cool show this year."

"I can't wait to come watch it. I will definitely be coming to watch."

"I'll see you there, Mr. James." I chuckled at his excitement. We parted our ways and headed inside.

"So the 'Tell-Tale Heart'," Tony began. "That's the one about the old man who's blind and gets murdered by a crazy guy, right?"

"Yep, that's the one." I nodded. "Do you think you'll be able to come? You've never been to any of our performances. And they're really cool and really fun."

"I… I can try. I don't know for sure." Tony was hesitant. I felt disappointment run through me. Like always, he won't make it because he's off getting drunk at some stupid casino and comes back with some stupid woman I don't know. Outside of the conference room, we found Pepper who was waiting for us.

"Pepper!" I greeted her with a hug.

"Hey, kiddo, how's it going?" Pepper returned the hug. "You were fantastic last night." She softly added.

"I'm alright and thanks." I grinned at her. "I'm anxious to get home though."

"We all are." She agreed putting an arm around me. "Let's go inside and sit down. They'll start in a few minutes." As we walked down the aisle to our seats, I felt the eyes of almost everyone in the room on me. Oh this will never get old and I really hate it when they stare. Tony sat in the seat in front of us and began talking to Pepper which I tuned out of it. Probably something I won't find very interesting. Ahead where the head of the Service Committee sits at, the doors to the left opened and the head, Senator Stern, strutted in acting like he owned the place. His scent of hygiene covered up by Old Spice wasn't doing too well as it reached me and it was revolting.

He walked in with a fake smile plastered on his face. Funny how people say that in high school there are people who compete for popularity status, but when you graduate and go on to the real world, none of that matters. Well someone failed to mention that to Stern. He took his seat, cleared his throat, and tested the microphone in front of him. And then the long first hour began before we had a break. Stern droned on and on about how the Service Committee provides weapons to defend our country. Like we all didn't know that and have no idea why we're here today.

"This is absolute torture." I whispered quietly to Pepper.

"I know and I'm sorry." She whispered back. "Believe me; I'd rather be dead than listen to Stern talk." Oh the irony of that.

"Looks like someone shoved something up his butt and that's why he walks all weird." I commented. Pepper quietly giggled.

"I bet he lays out all of his clothes in the morning." Pepper commented back.

"No, his mother does that for him." I sniggered. A few of the people around us began to giggle a little at our remarks.

"Way to break the tension a little." Pepper gave a small smile.

"My pleasure,"

The first half passed by slowly much to my dismay. The second half, however, was even worse.

"Mr. Stark," Stern tried to grab Tony's attention but all he got was Tony's backside as he was quietly bickering with Pepper. "Can we please get back to where we left off?" After a few seconds of silent bickering, Tony faced Stern. "Mr. Stark, can I please have your attention?"

"Yes, Dear, absolutely," Tony replied with a cheeky grin. A murmur of laughter moved through the crowd. Stern waited for a moment for the humor to die down.

"Do you or do you not possess a specialized weapon?" Stern asked.

"I do not." Tony replied.

"You do not." Stern repeated his answer.

"Well, I do not depending on how you define the word 'weapon'."

"The Iron Man weapon," Stern clarified. There was a deafening moment of silence between the two of them before Tony answered his question.

"My device does not fit the description of weapon."

"Well, how would you describe…"

"I would describe it by defining what it is, Senator." Tony calmly replied.

"And…"

"It's made…it's a high tech prosthesis." Tony scrounged his face a little trying to think of a description. Once again, everyone laughed except for Stern. "That's what it is. That's actually the most accurate description for it that I could give it."

"It's a weapon, Mr. Stark." Stern curtly replied. I could see tension building up in him. _I'm losing my patience with this asshole. No, wait. I lost it before the hearing began_.

"If your priority was to, actually the well-being of…" Tony began but he was cut off.

"My priority is to get the Iron Man weapon handed over to the people of the United States of America."

"Well," Tony huffed a little. "You can forget it." There was a small murmur running through the hall. "I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one. To turn over the Iron Man suit is to be turning over myself which is a hand amount of servitude and a little prostitution depending on what the State declares it. You can't have it."

"Well, I'm no expert, Mr. Stark, but…"

"In prostitution of course is not your senator." Tony slapped the desk for comic relief. "Come on!" That got everyone but Stern and Pepper to laugh. Pepper just shook her head at him as they exchanged looks. _No? Shouldn't have done that?_ He thought.

_No, shouldn't have done that at all,_ Pepper thought.

"I'm no expert in weapons, but we have somebody here who is an expert in weapons." Stern folded his hands. "I would now like to acknowledge Justin Hammer, our current Primary Systems Contractor." Tony and I both internally groaned. Justin Hammer is a weapons developer like Tony, except less smart and way more douche baggier than Tony. Not only that, but his weapons don't even work. Justin Hammer walked up in front of a T.V screen with his hands on his hips getting ready to face Tony. He pushed his black rectangular glasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"Let the record know that I observe Mr. Hammer entering the chamber and I am wondering when and if there will be an actual weapons expert attending." Tony remarked. Justin sat at the far end away from Tony at the table and sipped a glass of water that was sitting out for them.

_Cute, Anthony, real cute. Nice way to be a role model for your little sister,_ Hammer snorted. Anger flared through me at his thought. Venom began to pool in my mouth. To keep myself from launching at him, I gripped the sides of the metal chair and managed to dent it in the process. Last time I check, Tony was the one who was held in captivity for three months in the Afghanistan desert and managed to build a suit of armor loaded with weapons in a cave and escape. Not only that, but he's had to deal with me since I was eight when our parents died in a car accident.

Stern banged his gavel for order. Justin merely chuckled but on the inside, he was clearly affected by the comment.

"Absolutely," Hammer replied. "I'm no expert. I'd prefer you, Anthony. You're the one Wonder Boy. Tony wasn't buying any of it. "Uh, Senator, if I may," He got up and walked to the T.V screen. "I may well not be an expert, but do you who was _the_ expert? It was your dad! Howard Stark everyone, really a father to us all," Tony rolled his eyes. "And to the military industrial age," Hammer leaned against a podium with the microphone in his hand. "Let's be clear that he was no 'Flower Child'. He was a lion. We all know why we're here. In the past six months, Anthony Stark has created the sword with untold possibilities. And yet he insists it's a shield. He asks us to trust him as we cower behind it. I wish I were comforted, Anthony, I really wish I do. I bet even your sisters wishes that, too!" He noticed me in the audience. "You're out saving the world and you leave your little sister behind worrying the wits out of her. Riley, how would you answer to that?" Everyone shifted in their seats to look at me and wait for my response.

"Mr. Hammer," I stood up in my seat, "I would answer your question with this. Even though he's out there defending our country, I do worry sometimes, but I know that he's doing something to protect us. I've learned how to cope with him being gone from those three months that he was held captive outside of Gulmira. Those may have been the three worst months of my life, but they've made me stronger. And I would like to say, that I absolutely trust my brother with my life. And I am comforted by it." I sat down. Everyone except Stern and Hammer burst into applause. I gave Tony a small smile.

"Thank you." He mouthed.

"You're welcome." I mouthed back.

"That takes some guts to stand up there and say that, Riley." Pepper gently squeezed my hand. "I'm proud of you."

"Anyway, I wish I could feel as comforted as you, Riley. I wish I could leave my door unlocked and have no one break into my house." Hammer continued. "But this isn't Canada."

"Maybe it's because no one likes you very much, Mr. Hammer." I smirked. Hammer chuckled.

"Cute. You know, we live in a world raised with threats that Mr. Stark will not always be able to see. Thank you. God bless Iron Man, God bless America." Hammer then sat down with scattered applause.

"Thank you, Mr. Hammer." Stern replied. "Now, I'd like to invite Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes to the chamber." I felt my mouth drop a little. _Rhodey? _Tony had the same reaction. There was a commotion of people as he entered the chamber. A few cameras flashed trying to get a picture of him. Tony stood up and greeted his best friend half way down the aisle. Together, they walked back to the table where they took their places. "Mr. Rhodes has knowledge about the Iron Man weapon. Could you please read page seventy-six?"

"You're requesting that I read selections from a bulletin?" Rhodey asked staring at the paper in front of him.

"Yes, Sir," Stern answered with a smirk on his face.

"It is my understanding that everyone will testify on detail due to the comprehension." Rhodey said before he began.

"Well I think…" Stern was about to put.

"You do realize you want me to read every single paragraph out of context."

"Don't read it, Colonel." Stern mentally sighed. Way to go, Rhodey, for stalling his patience.

"The suit does not operate under any branch of government." Rhodey read from the sheet. "Iron Man poses as a potential threat to the security of our nation and to her potential interest. I did warn to someone that the Iron Man weapon would be viewed as a non-threat to others that it exist…"

"I'm not sure where you're going with this, Mr. Secretary of Defense," Tony put in.

"I have to go on and show imagery that connects to your report." Stern explained.

"Are you pretty sure to reveal these images to the audience, Senator?" Rhodey asked with caution.

"Colonel, if you can just pause right there so we can reveal the images, that'd be great." Stern replied. Rhodey nodded once towards the screen. Oh this was going to be ugly.

"Intelligence says that these are attempts of a man-made of Mr. Stark's suit." Rhodey grimaced. I saw Tony pull a little gadget out and began typing away on it.

_What are you up to, to save your skin? _I thought. He reached across Rhodey and held the device up to the screen. Everyone began to make a commotion when the T.V. had an unknown bar onscreen. Tony was hacking into the footage Tony pressed another button and footage appeared.

"What's he doing?" Stern crossly asked.

"If you'll direct your attention to the screen," Tony informed everyone. "This is Korea." A large bulky version of a failed attempt of the Iron Man suit appeared. The machine took a few steps and fell over, but unleashed firing bullets. Screams echoed and one killed the man holding the camera. A little bit of blood splattered on the screen. Everyone gasped in horror.

"Turn that off. Somebody turn that off." Stern stood up. Hammer stood up to pull out the plugs.

"Iran," Tony drawled on. There was another attempt at the suit that flying out of control and crashed into the camera. "And here's something else. Wait, is that Justin Hammer?" It was indeed Hammer on screen trying to build it. "Justin, you're on T.V." Hammer quickly tried to find the plug. Tony looked back at me and gave me a small smile and I sniggered. Tony looked at Rhodey and the two of them began to smirk.

"_Right arm,_" Hammer instructed on screen. The pilot moved his arm back, but the whole top half of the suit turned backwards. Everyone exclaimed in horror before Hammer found the plug and pulled it. Stern sat there rubbing his eyes while Hammer went to sit back down.

"Most countries are ten years away to build the suit." Tony commented. "Hammer Industries, twenty years," Everyone began to laugh.

"I'd like to report that the test pilot survived." Hammer tried to save himself.

"What is your point, Mr. Stark?" Stern demanded.

"My point? Well let's just say that my suit is working. And that I'm protecting America all on my own. You can't have it!" He stood up. "And I'd like to have world peace." He held up the peace sign on both hands. Everyone burst into applause of approval and stood up. Stern stood there shocked and then stood down. Then a few of not-so-nice words came out of his mouth. Tony just shrugged in reply. He put his shades on and exited the chamber.

"There's one last thing I need to do before we leave." I told Pepper. Everyone began to get up and leave. I made my way over to Hammer.

"Ah, Riley Stark," He held out a hand, but I didn't take it. "Your brother sure makes quite the impression, doesn't he?"

"The next time you want to say something about my family, say it to our faces like a mature adult instead of hiding it behind our backs like an immature gossiping kid." I glared at him. Hammer stood there stunned as I left him. Pepper and Rhodey both saw and gave an encouraging smile. We met Tony out by the car in the front.

"Time to go home," Tony grinned.

"Definitely," I replied. "Let's get out of this Hell Hole."


End file.
